Sharp pricing expected for Audi Q4 e-tron

Audi’s first EV built on mass-market platform could point to new price level for premium electric car

The advent of the electric car hasn’t been accompanied by affordable pricing, and while Audi’s Q4 E-Tron won’t necessarily be cheap, it could pave the way for a mindset change from premium carmakers.

First shown at the 2019 Geneva show as a concept, the Audi Q4 E-Tron will be the first four-ring EV to be built on parent company Volkswagen’s new MEB electric platform.

With MEB production resuming after COVID-19-related delays, the small Audi EV crossover could hit the US market by the end of the year.

Pricing in the US is expected to be around US$45,000, which – even given the instability around exchange rates at the moment – should see the Q4 E-Tron lob here under the magic $100,000 mark.

At present, the cheapest electric luxury SUV is the Jaguar I-Pace which starts at $124,100, while the Mercedes-Benz EQC kicks off at $137,900. The E-Tron is expected to sell for around $140,000.

We’ve reached out to Audi Australia for a response, but we’d bet that the Q4 E-Tron is firmly on the company’s wishlist, given the Australian car buyer’s undying love of all things SUV.

As well, there is positive energy (hah!) around EVs from premium carmakers like Audi. “Without a doubt, there is an appetite for electric cars, and you hear people talk at that premium end especially, about looking forward to one of their next cars being an electric car,” Audi Australia’s product pricing and planning director Shawn Ticehurst told us earlier this year.

“It’s the conversations you hear at barbeques and parties; the minute someone knows you’re a ‘car guy’, they’ll say ‘I’m really keen for my next car to be electric’. It’s in people’s mindsets now, where perhaps it wasn’t even two years ago. They are fascinated by it.”

While the Q4 E-Tron is likely to share electric motors and battery packs with cars like the VW ID4 electric crossover, we’d expect the Audi product to ship initially with all-wheel-drive, whereas the 500km-range ID4 is expected to debut in rear-wheel-drive format.

As well, energy densities are constantly improving, which could give the Q4 up to 500km by the time it arrives - though Audi's WLTP range figures are usually pretty conservative.

Underneath the delayed E-Tron – which is closer in size to a Q5 – is a modified version of the group’s MQB chassis, which sits under cars like the A4 and Q5. However, Audi’s desire to rush an EV to market meant expensive re-engineering and a higher cost-per-unit price for the beleaguered E-Tron, which was expected to touch down in Australia later this year, about 18 months after it was initially slated to arrive.